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Meeting Your Customer’s Expectations This Holiday Season

With the holiday season less than a few months away, retailers are gearing up for what customers are expecting this year.

Ian MacDonald, director of ecommerce for Silver Star Brands, said during a video interview at IRCE 2015 that this holiday season will be similar to holiday 2014 but different in the sense that customers will expect later cutoffs this year.

“I think we”re going to see trends in more and better discounts. Customers are very priced sensitive in every market now with competitive shipping offers,” said MacDonald.

MacDonald said people are expecting free shipping, however as retailers get closer to the holidays, customers are going to expect free expedited shipping. He added, that customers can wait as long as they want, but they will give it to them no matter the cost.

“I think another different is we’re going to make a concerted effort to make it more simple, while we know customers want offers and discounts and extended shipping, we’re trying to reduce the burden on ourselves, not change the homepage everyday,” said MacDonald. “We’re not going to have a new sale every day, we’re going to keep things stable and consistent and less work, but still give the customer what they need to purchase.”

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Being prepared for the holiday rush used to mean stocking shelves and making sure your associates were ready for the long hours. But the digital revolution has changed everything, most importantly, customer expectations. Retailers with a physical store presence should be asking themselves—what am I doing to wow the customer?